


Careless Whisker

by psyraah



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Pouty Roy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 06:05:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11030184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psyraah/pseuds/psyraah
Summary: When Roy started dating Ed, he knew that Ed could have a very singular focus on many things. Alchemy, for one. Family, for another. Ed, like anyone else, had other priorities in life, and Roy was perfectly content with that.Or so he thought, until the cat came into the picture.





	Careless Whisker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Xyriath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xyriath/gifts).



> A late happy birthday to a lovely Nern <3 Please enjoy this fluffer.
> 
> Cheers to Berg for the title (Y) And the most beautiful, adorable art can be found [here](https://automailsucker.tumblr.com/post/161227647787/happy-birthday-xyriath-an-accompanying-fic) (click it, you'll love it).

When Roy comes home, there’s no excited yelling, or babble, or stream of curses that usually greets him. In fact, the house is unusually quiet as he toes his shoes off and hangs his coat up.

“Ed?”

Nothing.

Nothing…except for the quiet, occasional murmur coming from down the hallway. They didn’t plan for any guests to be over, and if it were Al on a surprise visit, there’d be far more screaming and general ruckus.

Roy squints his eyes suspiciously. He thinks he might know who’s got Ed’s attention.

He pads quietly to their living room, poking his head around the door. Ed’s sitting cross-legged on the couch, and sure enough, their new kitten is with him. The cat is lying on his back, front paws tucked against itself and bottom leg sticking upwards. Roy watches, slightly amused, as Ed presses down on the protruding limb, only to watch it spring back up to point at their weathered ceiling again. Ed laughs, and the sounds gentles Roy’s annoyance a little.

But only a little.

“Ed?” His tone is a little more insistent as he enters the room, but Ed is still fascinated with the cat.

“Not now, Roy,” Ed says, in the same way you’d talk to an insistent five-year-old. Actually, it’s even worse because Roy has never heard Ed talk to a five-year-old—or any other child—in that tone of voice. It is reserved for Roy, and Roy alone.

He doesn’t know whether to be fond or offended. Probably a bit of both.

“Look at Deathskull.”

Ed prods the cat’s leg again, and it bounces back resolutely. Deathskull, despite the name, has little reaction except to glance at Ed and blink.

Roy puts his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall. “I’m looking. You seem to be awfully amused.”

“It’s _funny_ ,” Ed says with a grin, and he prods the cat’s leg again, cackling when it just rises once more. “He’s been sitting here for like, ten minutes.”

“Mmm. So surely you’ve had your fun then? I wouldn’t mind a hug.”

Ed makes an absent little grunt. “Yeah, in a bit.”

Roy frowns. Is he being ignored for a cat? There’s only one way to test this hypothesis.

Roy strides over, and tucks his finger under Ed’s chin, leaning down and—

Ed bats his arm away. “I said in a _bit_.”

Roy blinks, hand still raised, too shocked to lower it. “Am I being ignored,” he asks, tone _very_ unimpressed, “in favour of the cat?”

“Yes,” Ed says immediately, and pokes Deathskull’s leg again.

When another minute passes, and all Ed does is poke the damn cat’s leg another two times without further acknowledging Roy, then lift it to bounce up and down while snickering like a child, Roy gives up.

“Well,” he says, with as much dignity as is left him. Not that it’s very much; he sacrificed pretty much all of it when he decided to start cohabiting with Edward. “I’m going to change into something more comfortable. You’re welcome to join me when you see fit,” he sniffs.

All Ed does is grunt.

So Roy marches off, partially amused, a little annoyed, and all together just very baffled. He should’ve refused the damn cat, he thinks, tugging off his uniform jacket with a little more force than necessary. But Ed had been _so_ insistent; Alphonse’s soft spot for strays must be contagious, somehow, or else it’s hereditary. There aren’t enough Elrics for Roy to test that hypothesis, so Roy will just put the blame on Ed’s solitary brother rather than the entire bloodline.

Not that he can exactly berate Al for it, he thinks mournfully, changing his shirt. Al would probably just laugh, and join Ed in paying undue attention to the cat.

No, the best course of action was what any self-respecting adult in a happy, fulfilling relationship would do: hide from their partner for as long as possible, until said partner came to provide comfort to the injured party.

That’s how Ed finds him a few minutes later: sulking as he peels off his socks and throws them into the laundry hamper. He must make a pathetic sight, because there’s no other explanation for the way Ed laughs when he walks over, wrapping his arms around Roy’s waist.

“Hi.” Ed’s grinning. He knows exactly what he’s done.

Roy pouts when Ed hugs him, but he kisses Ed’s forehead gently anyway. There’s no force in the universe that can stop him from kissing Edward Elric, even his own ego.

“Not five minutes ago, you refused you greet me.”

Ed shrugs, but he just keeps grinning, and Roy’s own frown starts to soften despite himself. That’s probably exactly what Ed wants, but damn him if it isn’t working. “I was doing important shit.”

“Prodding our new pet?”

“It’s important. Bonding or some shit, but he ran off. Think I annoyed him.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Roy says drily. “Anyone would want their limbs to be needlessly poked by a creature five times their size.”

Ed butts his head against Roy’s chin. “Hey, you love it when I poke you.”

“You’re not five times my size.” Roy smirks. “Nowhere near.”

But instead of a snarl and a frown, Ed grins, to Roy’s great confusion. “Knew you had that smile in you somewhere.”

Damn. Baited.

Roy resolutely plasters on a pout once more, resting his chin on top of Ed’s head with a sigh. “Not smiling. I am utterly heartbroken. Sometimes I think you love that cat more than you love me.”

Ed laughs. “I _definitely_ love that cat more than you.”

But then he draws back and pushes up on his toes to brush his lips against Roy’s. And with Ed like this? All gentle and soft and sweet against Roy, firelight and all their home and heart wrapped up in a tiny, blond bundle in Roy’s arms, Roy doesn’t need Ed’s words to feel his love.  

 

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr](http://psyraah.tumblr.com/post/161227708662/happy-birthday-a-bit-late-to-xyriath-3333-with) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/starchydreams/status/869406422965952512)
> 
> Please do let me know what you think, it means the world


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